Business Across Cultures: From Face to Shame

Management books for expatriates
doing business in Asia talk about the importance of understanding the differences
between Western and Asian business cultures. Obviously Indonesia with its
mixture of cultures, religions, and languages, overlaid with the enigmatic
influence of Java, ranks right at the top of the list of countries with
differences.

Perhaps
one of the most talked about, but least understood, aspects of doing business
in Indonesia is the cultural concept of Loss of Face and the effect that
it has on office relationships.

It is one of the most talked about
aspects because almost any Western manager working anywhere in Indonesia
has at least heard the adage “Beware of causing a loss of face”. Those
same managers may not be aware of the equally important Indonesian cultural
concepts of Bapakisme and Selamat.

These are two of the least understood
aspects because it entails multiple definitions and consequences beyond
just embarrassing an employee.

Because the foreign manager needs
to understand this concept to consider the consequences of his or her
actions, I will look at one loss-of-face critical incident and examine
how the parties may perceive and interpret the event.

Jack LeGrand is the V.P.-Operations
for a Canadian multi-national in Surabaya. Angered by the actions of one
of his senior Indonesian managers, Jack loudly confronts him in the cubicle-filled,
common work area of the office.

“Hell, you did it again! You know
you have to follow the set company procedures when appointing suppliers.
We have talked about this time after time. What is your problem?” He said
slapping a folder down on a desk. “If you won't follow the rules, I don't
need you here.” This was met by silence on the part of the manager and
his office co-workers. The Indonesian manager even seemed to be smugly
smiling which made Mr. LeGrand even more frustrated. “This isn't funny.
Maybe you should consider how much you like working here.” he said as
he left the room in the direction of the President Director's office.
The Indonesian manager resigned the next day.

Loss of face is more than simple
embarrassment. The concept in Indonesian business culture is called malu.
While malu is literally translated as embarrassment or shyness,
in the business context it also means loss of face or social shame.

The idea of loss of face is external;
it is how one believes others perceive him or her. It is the fear or anxiety
that others may think badly of you, do not respect you as much as they
did before, and laugh and whisper about you behind your back.

The idea of social shame is internal;
it is how one perceives himself or herself. It is the inner feeling that
one is ashamed of one's actions and that one really did do something wrong
to let the group down.

These two concepts are connected
but one does not have to be ashamed to have lost face or visa versa.

In the above situation the Indonesian
manager did lose face. He was criticized in front of his fellow workers
and may have to endure their ridicule, however short-term, if he continued
to work in the office. He may also be ashamed that he actually did make
a mistake and let the office down. The combination of loss of face and
social shame may have become too much for him to bear and he resigned
his position, current economic conditions and short-term job prospects
not being overriding considerations.

However, while the loss of face
was there for all to see, we do not really know if the Indonesian manager
experienced social shame. If he felt that Jack was impolite, rude, or
otherwise out of line; if he felt that the problem was outside of his
control, he may well not accept personal responsibility. In such a case,
while suffering a loss of face, he would not feel he had done anything
wrong, and, therefore, experience no social shame.

Also, smiling is a defense mechanism.
As discussed in my previous columns, Batin dan Lahir requires presenting
an outward sense of calm to others in your group. Being placed in uncomfortable
situations often results in a laugh or smile with Indonesians at all levels
of society.

Jack LeGrand, though he may not
know it, also lost face. He became emotional in front of his subordinates
and did not maintain the harmony of the office. He lost respect in the
eyes of his co-workers and they will certainly discuss the incident at
least in private. However, Jack did not experience social shame. The influence
of face and shame being much weaker in the West than in Asia, he doesn't
have the cultural references to be ashamed by his actions. The thought
would, most probably, never occur to Jack or most other Western managers
in Indonesia and it might not be of great concern if it did.

Because international companies
operating in Indonesia seldom tolerate non-compliance with their internal
guidelines, the question now becomes how problems like the critical incident
above should be handled. Western managers need to understand their subordinates
on a personal level and adjust responses to the individual involved. However,
in general, in Indonesia, a Western manager wants to avoid causing a loss
of face while exploiting social shame.

One avoids a loss of face by keeping
disciplinary acts behind closed doors-in a private office or in a conference
room-not where others can overhear the discussion. This can be difficult
in offices that use a common cubical set-up. Bringing an employee to your
office or conference room is still obvious; however, the other employees
can, by using yet another Indonesian cultural concept, maintain the appearance
of office harmony.

In private, speaking in a quite
and calm voice meant to be solemn and serious, the Western manager should
lay out what was done wrong, how it affected the other people in the office,
and what should be done differently in the future. The emphasis being
on how it was the employee's fault and how the employee “let down the
team”. Causing such a sense of inner guilt may sound harsh, but it seems
to be the most effective way to modify behavior among culturally entrenched
employees.

Indonesian employees should know
that Western managers do not normally enjoy causing anyone pain or embarrassment.
If they do, it may simply be the fact that they do not understand the
significance of their actions in the Indonesian cultural context.

Western managers need to allow
Indonesian employees to keep face. Even in the West we will often allow
someone “a way out”- a way to keep his or her self-respect and pride.
In Indonesia it is more important because causing a major loss of face
can result in consequences ranging from a simple dislike of the expatriate
by the work force, to one or more employees resigning, to accusations
made to corporate or governmental authorities, to actual violence against
the expatriate.

This article was generously contributed by George B. Whitfield, III when he was a Technical Advisor with Executive
Orientation Services.